CRIME Serial Killer Manhunt - St. Louis Area!

Knell

Knell

Deceased
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/01/deaths.related.ap/index.html

'Person of interest' sought in possible killing spree
Story Highlights
Bodies of four people found Monday in Rock Falls, Illinois

Slayings may be related to earlier killings in Illinois and Missouri

Nicholas T. Sheley, 28, sought as 'person of interest' in five deaths

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The deaths of four people found in a western Illinois town may be related to as many as four other deaths in Illinois and Missouri in the past week, police said.

On Monday, police found the bodies of two men, a woman and a child in Rock Falls, a town in northwestern Illinois, about 100 miles west of Chicago.

Authorities gave few details but said they had found the bodies after being asked to check on the people.

Police said they believe one of the victims is connected to Russell Reed, a 93-year-old man from nearby Sterling whose body was found stuffed in a trunk last week. Authorities there say Reed died of blunt force trauma.

Investigators said Tuesday that they were seeking a 28-year-old Sterling man, Nicholas T. Sheley, as a "person of interest" in the five deaths, and said he "should be considered armed and dangerous."

State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek said Sheley was an acquaintance of one of the people found dead inside the apartment.

The Whiteside County State's Attorney's office said Sheley hasn't been charged in connection with any of the deaths. There is a warrant for his arrest in a June 14 home invasion.

Authorities also are examining possible connections between the cases and recent homicides in Galesburg, a community about 60 miles southwest of Rock Falls, and in Festus, Missouri, near St. Louis, Burek said.

Investigators were trying to determine if a body found Monday in Galesburg is that of a 65-year-old man who was reported missing, police Sgt. James Martinson said. The man's car was stolen and later found in Missouri, Martinson said.

Meanwhile, officials in Festus say police are investigating the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found Monday behind a gas station.

Police said the man and woman match a vague description of a missing Arkansas couple who had checked into a Comfort Inn in Festus on Friday and were last seen late Sunday. The couple's dogs were found in the hotel parking lot, covered with blood.

Police in Festus declined to comment on their investigation Tuesday. But officers in tactical gear searched an apartment building in Collinsville, Illinois, Tuesday for a person of interest in the Festus slayings, Collinsville police Sgt. Rich Wittenauer said.

Wittenauer could not say whether it was the same person of interest being sought in the Illinois killings. Collinsville is about 40 miles northeast of Festus.
 
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ceeblue

Veteran Member
Illinois State Police Press Release

I couldn't get the photograph to copy in.

http://www.isp.state.il.us/media/pressdetails.cfm?ID=440

Law Enforcement Authorities offer $25,000 reward for the arrest of Nicholas T. Sheley

Released: July 1, 2008

$20,000 from the FBI and $5,000 from the Whiteside County Crime Stoppers

The Illinois State Police, along with the Whiteside County Sheriffs Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sterling Police Department, and Rock Falls Police Department are currently investigating two homicides which occurred in rural Whiteside County and Rock Falls. The most recent homicide was discovered on June 30 after Rock Falls Police Officers responded to a welfare check and discovered four homicide victims, one of which was a child. An earlier homicide victim was discovered in rural Whiteside County on June 26 by Whiteside County Deputies.

Nicholas T. Sheley, age 28, of Sterling is considered a person of interest in both homicides. Sheley remains at large and should be considered armed and dangerous. The public is reminded to call authorities and not to approach Sheley.

The Investigative Task Force is also communicating with law enforcement authorities in Galesburg, Illinois, and Festus, Missouri, regarding recent homicides in their jurisdictions. It is believed that Sheley may have a connection in these two homicides. Sheley was last believed to be in the Collinsville, Illinois, area late on Monday, June 30.

A tip hotline phone number has been established at 866-219-8333.


###
For more information contact:
Sergeant Thomas J. Burek
Telephone: 309.945.8666
TDD:
 
G

Garryowen

Deceased
It seems pretty certain that Sheley killed the elderly man. There appears to be some connection also to the four deaths in Rock Falls. Whether there is a connection to the deaths in MO still seems to be uncertain. The police, of course, are not giving out a lot of information.

Sheley has his pic on a lot of buildings around this area. At this point, there are a lot of citizens who don't plan on waiting for him to announce his intentions before they start slinging heavy metal his way.

regards,

Garryowen
 
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chickenrancher

Veteran Member
They caught him in Granite City, IL. Thank God, though I was hoping they wouldn't take him alive. Doesn't deserve to be kept on my tax=-paying dime.

This started 20 miles from my home, and of course rumors are rampant. The child he killed was his own 1 yo. The female was either an ex or girlfriend. He had a hit list, which is very irritating to know, since the cops knew people on it, and warned them to get out of town. If they knew who he was going after, why didn't they catch him at it??? Took, what, 6 days to finally get the SOB! Mayberry has nothing on our local police force!!

Everyone has been locked and loaded since this started, and nervous...not a good combination. Hubby even concealed carried on errands today...never has done that.

Glad it's over.
 
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ceeblue

Veteran Member
chickenrancher, I was watching NCIS tonight on 23 out of Rockford. At the very end of the show, they broke in with the news that guy was caught. Later, WBBM 780AM out of Chicago said the guy was in a bar at a mall down in Granite City. When he went out for a smoke, the people in the bar called the police. State police took him in. He wasn't armed at the time and went right down. The people in the bar said they were scared to see him come in there just after they'd been watching the news about him. Creepy.

I hope the people in the bar split the reward.

I haven't gone to Sterling and Rock Falls since the 70s. We used to stop at the park up over the railroad tracks. There were some rough spots there back when. In the 80s and 90s, I heard coke and meth were big in that area. Used to hear stories of corruption, too. The photo of Sheley sure looks like he was on the meth road.

Here's WBBM's website. Sheley is the top story.
http://www.wbbm780.com/
 
Dornroeschen

Dornroeschen

Inactive
Captured: Suspect in 8 Midwest killings
Fugitive arrested in Granite City, 10 miles north of St. Louis, Mo.
The Associated Press
updated 7:24 p.m. CT, Tues., July. 1, 2008

ST. LOUIS - An ex-con suspected of killing eight people in two states was arrested outside a bar in Granite City this evening.

Bartender Kelly Ronk says 28-year-old Nicholas Sheley came into Bindy's, ordered a water and went to the bathroom before another bartender and customer recognized him.

They notified police and minutes later authorities including FBI agents arrived at the bar.

Sheley — who was smoking a cigarette — was arrested outside the bar around 7 p.m.

FBI spokeswoman Kelly Brennan confirmed that 28-year-old Nicholas T. Sheley was captured Tuesday in Granite City, about 10 miles north of St. Louis. She didn't immediately have more information about the arrest. A spokeswoman with the Granite City police department said Sheley is in custody there.

The FBI on Tuesday launched a manhunt for Sheley, who they believe is tied to the killings of eight people in Illinois and Missouri, including a 93-year-old man, a child and a couple whose blood-soaked dogs were found roaming a motel parking lot.

Sheley, last seen in Illinois near St. Louis, was named as a suspect in all eight killings Tuesday afternoon. Federal and local officials announced a $25,000 reward for his arrest and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Sheley has only been charged in the death of one of the eight. He faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and vehicular hijacking in the death of Ronald Randall, whose body was found Monday behind a grocery store in Galesburg, in northwestern Illinois, police said. An autopsy showed the 65-year-old died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Investigators said the other victims all appeared to have died in the same manner and that evidence linked to Sheley was recovered at each scene. The FBI and Illinois State Police declined to elaborate.

Officials said the other victims all appeared to have died in the same manner.

Long rap sheet
Public records show Sheley has multiple convictions for robbery, drugs and weapons charges and has spent three years in prison.

The killings began with the beating death of 93-year-old Russell Reed, a Sterling man whose body was found stuffed in the trunk of a car Thursday. Sheley also is from Sterling, a town of 15,000 about 100 miles west of Chicago.

On Monday, police discovered the bodies of two men, a woman and a child in an apartment in Rock Falls, a town near Sterling. Police said that someone asked them to check on the victims and that they believe one of them was connected to Reed.

State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek said Sheley was an acquaintance of one of the people found inside the apartment.

The Galesburg grocery store where Randall's body was discovered Monday is about 60 miles southwest of Rock Falls.

Also Monday, the bodies of a man and woman were found behind a gas station in the St. Louis suburb of Festus, Mo., about 250 miles south of Galesburg. Investigators were looking for the couple's pickup truck.

Bill Baker, with the St. Louis Area Major Case Squad, identified the couple as Tom and Jill Estes of Sherwood, Ark., who had checked into a Comfort Inn in Festus on Friday and were last seen late Sunday. The couple's dogs were found in the hotel parking lot, unharmed but covered with blood.

Uncle says Sheley struggled with drugs
Sheley's uncle, Joe Sheley, 47, of Sterling, told The Associated Press that Nicholas Sheley had recently struggled with drugs and that his rap sheet included arrests for home invasion.

"He's been in trouble many times over the years, but something like this, yeah, it's out of character," Joe Sheley said. "He's got a temper like anybody else. Just doesn't want to be messed with. Won't back down. But to go looking for a fight, looking for trouble, no."

Sheley spent nearly three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for aggravated robbery between 2000 and 2003 and another 17 months on parole, which ended in April 2005, said IDOC spokesman Derek Schnapp.

The uncle didn't know of any connection between his nephew — a father of four by two wives — and the St. Louis area.

The most recent previous warrant facing Nicholas Sheley was issued last week for a June 14 home invasion at a 90-year-old woman's home.

Sterling police said Sheley forced his way into the home, took an undisclosed amount of money and forced the woman to write out some checks. He became "somewhat physical" with the woman but she was not seriously injured, police said.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25475940/
 
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